Teaching Chinese to younger children requires the trainer to be creative in maintaining an engageful experience while learning. Building this experience is usually assisted by different media that can keep kids’ attention for longer periods of time. One teaching method that is usually used to help kids improve their Chinese skills is by incorporating Chinese idioms for kids — some simple, story-based expressions that are fun and easy to learn.

Chinese idioms typically consist of 4 characters with a figurative meaning that is based on Chinese ancient literature. 

Throughout this article, we will be discussing Chinese Idioms’ role in assisting language learning and introduce you to a few easy to understand Chinese idioms that can help your kids sound like a native speaker. 

For complete beginners, learning Chinese idioms might be quite confusing as the meanings are mostly figurative and therefore need an in-depth understanding to use. However, implementing Chinese idioms into your kid’s learning material is highly recommended as Chinese idioms are commonly used in daily conversation and academic field an can enhance your kid’s learning for the following reasons:

1. Provide a new experience of learning – Chinese idioms are usually written in different literature, providing kids with another medium that can effectively help them improve in no time. 
2. Improve fluency – By learning Chinese idioms, kids are encouraged to learn new vocabulary and understand how some phrases can hold figurative meanings. Learning this will enrich their knowledge of Chinese language. 
3. Academic performance – Apart from its main use to communicate with each other, learning Chinese idioms is also very recommended for kids that will take proficiency tests in the future since both HSK and PSLE tests will usually include some basic Chinese idioms to test your understanding. 
4. Different literature – As mentioned above, Chinese idioms are usually written in ancient literature. By teaching your kids about Chinese idioms, you will be able to encourage them to incorporate different literatures as their learning resources. 

If you want to make learning Chinese idioms for kids more exciting, storytelling is one of the best techniques to use. Children learn better when stories are actively involved. This involvement provides a creative and flexible way of learning Chinese idioms. Knowing how impactful stories can be to improve kids’ understanding, it is very advised for learners to include stories to further engage with kids throughout their learning process. Aside from the obvious benefits of engaging learning method, utilizing stories to kids learning journey can also be practical for several reasons 

1. Providing context – By learning with stories, you are not only encouraged to learn new phrases, but also knowing when and why the respective Chinese idiom is used. By utilizing stories, kids will be able to understand the proper context of the Chinese idioms and apply them in daily life.
2. Learning better – Learning through stories is proven to be more effective in teaching as stories will help build engaging content that will assist young kids in retaining memory better. Stories connect abstract concepts with real life experience, making it more relatable and close to the world we live in. 
3. The existence of morals – Stories are usually written with a moral at the end of the part, teaching kids not only new phrases, but also life lessons that are packed in a simple yet engaging narrative. 
4. Expanding imagination – Stories allow readers to create their own mental image of the narrative, encouraging them to be imaginative as they immerse themselves in the plot. This point is incredibly important for kids who are still developing their creative thinking skills.

1. 良药苦口 (liáng yào kǔ kǒu)
   This idiom can be directly translated into “good medicine tastes bitter in the mouth” which implies that good advice might be unpleasant at first but can be beneficial in the future. This idiom teaches kids to be able to endure unpleasant situations as some situations can lead to greater happenings in the future.
2. 画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng)
   This idiom can be directly translated into “dotting into the eye of the dragon” which means adding a final touch to make something perfect.
3. 鹤立鸡群 (hè lì jī qún)
   This idiom can be directly translated into “crane standing among chickens” which can be used to describe an outstanding person among the crowd.
4. 马马虎虎 (mǎ mǎ hǔ hǔ)
   This idiom can be directly translated into “horse horse tiger tiger” that is usually used to describe a so-so or average situation.
5. 井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā)
   This idiom can be directly translated into “a frog at the bottom of the well” which defines people as very limited human beings that often see things from their own perspective.
6. 情同手足 (qíng tóng shǒu zú)
   This idiom can be directly translated into “as close as hands and feet” which is used to describe a very close relationship between one another, similar to a sibling relationship.
7. 三心二意 (sān xīn èr yì)
   This idiom can be directly translated into “three hearts, two minds” which refer to people’s inability to focus on one task and having the tendency to switch interest every once in a while.
8. 一石二鸟 ((yī shí èr niǎo)
   This idiom can be directly translated to “one stone two birds” which is usually used to describe the act of accomplishing two things at once.
9. 如鱼得水 (rú yú dé shuǐ)
   This idiom can directly be translated to “like a fish in the water” which is used to describe a situation in which someone is comfortable with the environment.
10. 掩耳盗铃 (yǎn ěr dào líng)
    This idiom can directly be translated to “covering one’s ears while stealing a bell” and implies that a problem will not disappear just because you’re avoiding it.

Learning Chinese idioms is one of the many alternatives to enhance children’s learning method. Idioms will not only help them converse better in Chinese but also will help them expand their vocabulary and knowledge. Finding resources for easy-to-learn Chinese idioms for kids can be quite tricky, especially if you’re aiming to seek older literature to help improve your kid’s learning. While self learning can be plausible, consider signing up for courses to reach an effective way of learning Chinese idioms.